Bristol News

Kids a priority for Food City 500 weekend

There's no better sight than families enjoying time together at the race track and Bristol Motor Speedway is continuing to make sure that children who visit with us have a wonderful experience.

The Speedway has introduced numerous measures throughout the last few years to improve the race experience for kids. These include kids' ticket pricing, interactive kids zones, the introduction of kids menus and more, which will all be in effect for the Food City 500 weekend, April 21-23.

"Families are the heart of Bristol," said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. "The love of racing has been passed down from generation to generation and we want to make sure that tradition continues well into the future. We can't wait to see families arrive on property in just a little over a week for the Food City 500 weekend."

Starting in 2017, kids (12-and-under) can experience the best NASCAR action at The Last Great Colosseum for a special rate, making BMS an affordable attraction for families. For the April race weekend, tickets are $10 for kids to the Food City 500 (April 23) and free to the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300/Zombie Auto 125 doubleheader (April 22) and Bush's Beans Pole Day (April 21) with the purchase of an adult ticket. For all races, each child must have a physical ticket in hand to enter the gates. The Bristol Motor Speedway ticket office and www.BristolTix.com are the only two authorized locations that can produce the free kids tickets. With these new tickets, a race weekend has never been more affordable with families being able to bring their own cooler (up to 14 inches) through the gates.

Once guests arrive on property, a favorite for families has been the main BMS Kids Zone. Located in the Fan Zone off Volunteer Parkway near the famed Bristol elevator tower, the zone returns for the Food City 500 weekend. The display includes several kids favorites, including a zip line, rock wall, euro bungee, face painting, coloring stations, inflatables and more. Younger guests will want to be on the lookout for appearances by Bump and Run, Bristol's loveable brother and sister raccoon mascots!

New for 2017 is the addition of two new kids zones, located on the concourse level of the Speedway. These new zones, located in Turns 2 and 4, will provide families a place to entertain their kids during the race. These new zones will include coloring stations, inflatables, interactive games and more.

With the new kid zones in place, the Food City 500 weekend will see the debut of new kids' menus at concession stands that are located near the concourse-level kid zones. Menus will include PB&J, hot dogs, fruit cups and veggie sticks, among other items.

One of the best ways for kids to take part in the Bristol fun is to join the official Bristol Kids Club. Open to anyone 12-and-under, the Kids Club is completely free and provides a fun and interactive way for kids to join in on the Speedway fun. Each Kids Club member will receive a welcome packet, which includes a membership certificate, official Kids Club pass with lanyard, letter from Bump and Run, sling bag, bike sticker and coupons. Parents/guardians can sign their child up for the Bristol Kids Club by visiting http://bit.ly/2kLcSNq or signing up in person at the main Kids Zone display during race weekend. As an added bonus, any parent who signs their child up for the Kids Club on-site will receive a Cars 3 prize.

In conjunction with Disney's newest Pixar movie, Cars 3, BMS will be distributing special gift bags to the first 1,000 kids who come through the gates on both Saturday and Sunday.

During the race, children will want to keep their eyes on Colossus TV, the world's largest outdoor, center hung, 4-sided video display. The mammoth structure will feature interactive kids elements throughout the race weekend, including Cars 3 trailers, a kids dance cam, kids graphics and much more.

Adult tickets for the Food City 500 weekend are still available, starting at just $69 for the Food City 500 and $99 for a Saturday/Sunday combo ticket. For more information on ticketing, call 423-BRISTOL or visit BristolTix.com.